Practice makes perfect, so they say. But how do you practice loving someone? Like most “sports,” love begins with a relationship – but not with another person…..yet. With God. God is the ultimate coach for learning about love. Without a close relationship – and trust – with God, learning to love another person will be so much more difficult. Any relationship takes some risk. You have to put yourself “out there” – risking rejection. But if you do it properly, you can minimize the risk of rejection. If there is a rejection, then the the selection of that person may have been wrong to begin with. Maybe they are the ones that are not ready. Your initial approach revealed the meaning you gave the relationship. If they don’t reciprocate, then they are not ready. Maybe they will never be ready for you. At least it was good practice. So take the risk. You will grow from it – and so will they. You took the risk of caring deeply. The other person my realize it in time – a time when they are ready to begin practicing for real.